Su Qi hasn't had such a formal dinner for a long time.
After entering college, I was busy with studies and ate in the cafeteria every day. In order to maintain a slim figure, I ate less meat and more vegetables. I almost forgot what steak tasted like.
Today she went on a date with her brother to have Western food, and she ate to her heart's content.
Su Ling, who was sitting opposite, saw that his sister was enjoying her meal and her expression was gentle.
Look how hungry the child is. He ate half of a steak in less than five minutes.
"Slow down, Xiaoqi, come and have some drink." Su Ling pushed the juice in front of her.
Su Qi put down his knife and fork, picked up his napkin and elegantly wiped the corners of his mouth. "Brother, I am an adult now and can drink red wine."
Su Ling said with a smile: "In my eyes, you will always be a child."
Su Qi had no choice but to drink the juice and looked at her brother enviously while he drank the red wine.
The two of them sat by the window in the hall, with green plants separating the front and back, forming a comfortable little space. They ate steak and chatted, feeling very comfortable.
After finishing a steak, two pieces of bread, a drink, and a plate of fruit salad, Su Qi put down her knife and fork contentedly, leaned back in the soft leather chair, and touched her stomach.
Su Ling joked: "Where is your ladylike demeanor?"
Su Qi waved her hands. "I've left home temporarily."
Su Ling laughed, picked up the last piece of steak with a fork, put it into his mouth, chewed and swallowed it politely, then picked up the red wine and took a sip.
"Brother, I'm going to the bathroom." Su Qi put down his napkin and stood up.
"Well, do you need me to accompany you?" Su Ling asked.
"I know how to get there!" Su Qi picked up her small bag. She had been to FREE several times and was very familiar with the layout of the place. She went to the bathroom mainly to touch up her makeup because she was going to watch a movie with her brother later!
Su Ling swirled the red wine in his glass and signaled his sister to come back soon. Su Qi walked towards the bathroom. Her nice figure and pure temperament made other customers in the hall look up frequently.
“Ding Di——”
The cell phone on the dining table rang twice. Su Ling picked it up and looked at it, then smiled.
【Lu Feng: Baby, have you finished your meal? 】
Su Ling took a picture of the empty plate on the table with his mobile phone and sent it over.
【Su Ling: I’ve finished eating. I’m very full. How about you? 】
【藺封: Aunt He made me beef noodles and your little cake. Very delicious! 】
Which is better, Aunt He’s beef noodles or his cakes?
【Su Ling: If you like it, eat more. I don’t mind if you gain weight. ヾ(≧▽≦*)o】
【藺封: ...Don't touch my abdominal muscles anymore? 】
【Su Ling: Yes! 】
He chuckled softly and continued chatting with Lu Feng. Fifteen minutes had passed before he knew it, and his sister still hadn't come back.
Su Ling looked up.
Do girls take so long to put on makeup?
It's almost seven o'clock. If we're late, we won't be able to catch the 7:30 movie.
Su Ling sent Su Qi a message urging her to do so.
After waiting for a minute, Su Qi didn't reply. He sighed and had to make a phone call.
"Hello, the phone you dialed is powered off."
A mechanical electronic sound rang out, Su Ling stood up suddenly, the dining table shook, the plates collided and almost fell.
Xiaoqi’s phone is turned off?
impossible!
Why did she turn off her phone for no reason?
"Sir, do you need any help?" A passing waiter saw Su Ling's strange expression and asked with concern.
Su Ling held his phone in his hand, forced himself to calm down, and said to the male waiter, "Excuse me, can your waitress help me?"
The male waiter was confused, but did not refuse. He asked the girls in the store to go into the women's restroom at Su Ling's request. Half a minute later, the waitress came out and shook her head at Su Ling who was standing outside the door.
"There's no one in there."
Su Ling frowned. "Impossible! Ten minutes ago, my sister went to the bathroom and hasn't returned to her seat. Could you please go in and check again?"
The waitress was not tired of it, so she went back to the bathroom and checked every stall one by one, even the corners, but found nothing.
Su Ling continued to call Su Qi's cell phone, but it was still turned off.
He didn't want to think the worst, but he had to accept the facts.
Something happened to Xiaoqi!
Someone kidnapped a young girl in a high-end western restaurant like FREE without anyone noticing!
"Can I see your surveillance?" he asked.
"This..." The waiter hesitated. Normally, customers cannot view their surveillance, but this customer's sister disappeared in their restaurant, which was too strange.
"I'll ask the manager for instructions, please wait a moment." The people who come here to dine are either rich or noble. If something really happens, they can't afford it.
"Thank you." Su Ling sent a message to Lu Feng. He had just typed the few words "Xiao Qi is missing" and hadn't sent it when a text message alert popped up on his phone. He was stunned and quickly clicked it.
[15XXXXXXXXX: Your sister is in my hands. Don't tell anyone, don't call the police, come to Warehouse F at Liujiang Wharf before 8 o'clock, otherwise you will be waiting for your body to be collected! ]
Su Ling's pupils suddenly shrank as he stared at the text message coming from an unfamiliar phone number.
Xiao Qi was kidnapped!
The kidnappers' real target is him!
Who is he and why are we targeting him?
Su Ling's mind was in a mess, he couldn't grasp any clues, and he had no idea when he had offended someone.
If he had to make a fuss about it, it would only be the recent friction with young masters like Su Dan and Li Lin. However, Su Dan was a member of the Su family, and no matter how fiercely the fight between these cousins took place, they would not be so cruel as to kill each other.
What's more...
As a person who had severed ties with the Su family, he had long ceased to pose a threat to the status of other heirs of the Su family.
"Guest? Guest? Our manager has agreed to check the surveillance. May you come over now?" The waiter saw Su Ling in a daze and called him several times.
Su Ling came to his senses and followed the waiter to the monitoring room to check the surveillance footage at the bathroom door from 6:40 to 6:55.
Soon, the security guard in the monitoring room pulled up the video.
At 6:40, Su Qi entered the women's room.
At 6:49, when Su Qi left the ladies' room and was about to go back to the restaurant, someone seemed to call her. She walked over, and then the surveillance camera blind spot appeared. Until 6:55, she was no longer seen in the video.
Su Ling looked serious. "Where does this corridor lead to?"
The security guard said, "It's the staircase leading to the private room upstairs."
Su Ling asked, "Is there any camera nearby?"
The security guard shook his head: "There's none on the stairs, but there is one upstairs."
Su Ling clenched his fists: "Please help me retrieve the surveillance footage from upstairs."
The security guard knew the situation was serious and checked the surveillance footage at the stairwell. However, there was no sign of Su Qi, only a couple passing by. The woman seemed to be drunk and was wearing a man's suit. She was supported by the man as she walked under the camera.
"Please move back a little." Su Ling asked unwillingly with doubt in his eyes.
The security guard patiently rewound the video. Su Ling moved closer to the screen and carefully identified the couple embracing each other in the video. When he saw the hem of the girl's skirt, his face turned pale.
This girl in a suit leaning in a man's arms is Xiao Qi!
"Do you have another staircase in your restaurant?" he asked.
"Well, yes." The security guard said, "Go west along the corridor and there is another staircase. Going down is the back door of the restaurant."
Su Ling's heart sank, and he said to the security guard, "Can you give me a copy of these clips?"
"Okay sir, wait a moment."
Su Ling picked up his cell phone to check the time. It was 7:15. He only had 45 minutes to travel.
“Tick-tock—”
Another text message came in.
【15XXXXXXXXX: Mr. Su has time to watch the surveillance, why not hurry to Liujiang Wharf. 】
Su Ling felt a chill down his spine.
He is being watched!
This is a gang crime!
Moreover, his methods were so skillful and despicable that he had no chance of turning back except to go to the appointment alone.
The security guard was very quick and intercepted the video that Su Ling needed. "Sir, do you have a USB drive?"
"...No." Su Ling picked up the pen on the table and wrote an email address for him on a piece of paper. "Please send the video here. Thank you."
"OK."
Su Ling did not stay any longer and left the monitoring room with a sullen face. He returned to the restaurant, went to the counter, took out his membership card and paid the bill.
At 7:20, he got out of FREE, found his sports car in the parking lot, got into the driver's seat, started the car, and the headlights came on instantly. However, he did not drive away from the parking space immediately. Instead, he opened WeChat on his mobile phone and sent a message to Lu Feng.
[Su Ling: I was just having a meal with my sister, but you kept urging me. Did you hire someone to monitor me? I won't go home tonight. I will go to the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow to get a divorce certificate.]
After making this call, he waited for a while. There was no more message from the strange number, so he clicked send without hesitation.
【藺封：？ ？ ？】
Su Ling didn't explain, quit WeChat, and dialed the strange number. He thought the other party would not answer, but unexpectedly after two beeps, the other party picked up.
"There are only thirty-seven minutes left until eight o'clock." The other party used a voice changer, and his voice was a childish lolita.
Su Ling calmed down and said calmly, "Do you think I will believe that my sister is in your hands just based on two text messages?"
The other party laughed harshly. "Don't play tricks. If you want your sister to be safe, just come to the dock. If you are late, we brothers will not be polite. What a beautiful girl, as beautiful as a flower, but she is still a virgin, right?"
Su Ling's forehead was bulging with veins, and his fists were clenched tightly. "She is the daughter of the Su family. If you touch her, aren't you afraid that the Su family will cause trouble for you?"
"The rich girl is the most delicate and tender. Hehe, there are still thirty-five minutes." The other party was indifferent.
Su Ling said coldly: "If you have anything to say, come to me. Don't touch her! If you dare to touch her, I will make you pay a terrible price!"
"Haha, that depends on your speed. Remember! Don't contact anyone, let alone call the police! Otherwise, your sister's body will be floating on the river tomorrow."
“Ka——”
The other party hung up the phone.
Su Ling's whole body was tense, his hands were shaking, his breathing was rapid, his heart was beating uncontrollably, his head was foggy, he felt dizzy, and couldn't think. When he thought he was going to pass out, his cell phone suddenly rang. He suddenly woke up, grabbed the phone, saw the call from Lu Feng, hesitated, and chose to hang up.
The other party must be monitoring him nearby, so he cannot show any abnormality, otherwise Xiao Qi will be in danger.
Su Ling let out a long breath, touched the gear lever, and glanced at the little bee smart camera that served as a decoration on the dashboard, and was stunned.
The last time Zhan Yang sent rice and tea, he also sent a little bee. Su Ling thought it was cute, so he put it in the car as both a decoration and a dash cam.
"MK." He called.
"Beep, I'm here, master." The little bee made a sound.
Su Ling pursed his lips and ordered, "Start the covert tracking and filming mode."
"Got it, master." The little bee retracted the light on its belly, leaving only its eyes flickering.
Su Ling rolled down the car window, threw it out like trash, turned the steering wheel skillfully, and drove out of the parking space.
The thrown little bee floated silently into the air and followed the sports car from a distance.
Su Ling stepped on the accelerator and drove away FREE with a stern look on his face.
Having grown up in S City, he knew the map of S City like the back of his hand. He found the shortest route on the simulated map in his mind, stepped on the accelerator to the bottom, and the sports car rushed onto the street like an arrow.
In the FREE parking lot, in a black car, the driver was talking on the phone.
"...Yes, he has already set out."
Xiangyanshan Villa
When Ru Feng received Su Ling's strange WeChat message, his heart sank and he called him without hesitation. However, the phone only beeped once and then was hung up.
His eyes turned cold, and when he was about to call again, a letter arrived in his mobile mailbox. He touched the screen and clicked on the video in the mailbox——
A minute later, he put on his suit jacket, said something to Aunt He in the living room, and hurried out.
Aunt He turned to look at the big clock on the wall, smiled and shook her head. It was only 7:32, but Mr. Ru couldn't wait to pick up Mr. Su.
The author has something to say: Don't worry, the evildoers will be punished soon, um~